Fidelity
by Freakyleaf
Summary: A Sheelos fanfiction. It sort of delves into the past you don't hear about in the game. Finally finished! Hope you've enjoyed it. And keep your eyes open for the sequel!
1. The Story

"Mommy?" The innocent voice woke Sheena from her daydreams, and the small tug on her sleeve hastened the progress. "Mommy, can you tell me the story again?"

Sheena picked the child up and sat her on her lap. "Which story, dear?"

"The one about Daddy!" The young girl's deep blue eyes glistened happily

Sheena pursed her lips for a moment. "But, I've already told you that story..."

"Tell me again, Mommy! Tell me how you met him, and how you saved the two worlds together!" the little girl cried. "Please?"

With a sigh of defeat, Sheena answered, "Ah, alright..." and shifted her daughter to a more comfortable position on her lap. "You know how we live in Mizuho? Well, one day, after a rainstorm, the vice-chief sent me to the Imperial City of Meltokio to speak with the King of Tethe'alla..."

**Author's Note: 'Loha ; This is my second Tales of Symphonia fanfiction; Fidelity! This chapter is done in third-person perspective, but in the chapters from here-on-out, they'll be told from Sheena's point of view (unless labelled otherwise). This chapter is REALLY short, I know...I seem to have a strong affinity for making all my stories long, with really quick chapters. Anyway, read on!**


	2. Mistaken

I wandered for hours, asking everyone I met if they could direct me toward the King. Everyone blew me off--city people are not nice, most of them--, so I kept wandering, until I hit the nobles' section. The houses were enormous, and the fancy people were so shrewd; they ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. After searching this whole area, I was just about to go home when I saw..._him_.

The way he looked, the way he walked, the way he greeted the people around him, especially the noblewomen...from afar, I was certain this man had to be the King, or at least, the Prince!

"Excuse me!" I cried, running as fast as I could toward him. "Hey!!"

He turned to look at me with a smile. "Why hello, my veluptuous darling! Can I help you with something?" he asked.

"Are you of the royal family?" I panted once I reached him.

"Nah." Now he looked almost offended. "I know them, though. Want me to take you there, hunny? You don't look like you're from around here."

I flushed a little. "Yes, please!"

"Then, follow me, baby!" He turned on his heel and headed the other way, occasionally glancing over his shoulder at me. "Ah," he said suddenly, "Might you tell me your name?"

"I'm Sheena Fujibayashi of Mizuho," I answered dutifully.

"Sheena, huh..." the man mused. "Nice name. I'm Zelos Wilder; the Chosen of Mana."

I froze, nearly tripping over my own two feet. "Y-you're the Chosen?!"

"Yup, yup." Zelos smirked. "You haven't heard of me?"

"Ah, not particularly, no." I shifted uneasily as he led me into the castle.

He shrugged. "Guess I still have a ways to go. Anyway, here we are!" he exclaimed. "I gotta be going...fate shall lead me to meet you again, hunny!" he chortled as he walked away.

I gotta admit, when I first met him, I found his words tempting. But that was before I really _knew_ him.

"Why are you here, commoner?" A gaurd challenged as I cautiously walked up the red carpet to the throne.

"I was sent from Mizuho to speak with his Majesty," I answered.

The gaurd glared at me. "Are you Sheena Fujibayashi?"

"Yes, sir."

"...This way." The gaurd led me up the red carpet and gestured toward the King. "You have ten minutes."

Staring up at the King, I was thoroughly intimidated. Still, I addressed the issue of the attempts made by the King's men to excavate for Exspheres near Mizuho. To make a long story short, the King claimed that the Vice-chief was being greedy and was simply complaining, and held me, as his representative, responsible.

"You're being selfish!" I insisted.

The King waved me off. "You don't agree with my laws? Then, your village will suffer! Gaurds, take her to the dungeon!"

"No! You can't--!" I screamed, but to no avail. The gaurds seized my arms and dragged me off, down the side hall to the dungeon. Looking around desperately, I saw the castle doors open and the Chosen, Zelos, step inside.

"Chosen, help!" I pleaded, before they led me from the room and dragged me down the dark stairway, then locked me up.


	3. Valor

Pacing in my jail cell, I heard the crowed roar in the colliseum. _Some poor soul must have been forced to fight to the death_, I thought. _Perhaps they would do that to me_?

For at least a half hour, the crowd above screamed and cheered (or jeered) while prisoners fought for freedom. I listened nervously to the MC narrorate each battle, and every time, he would announce the prisoner dead. My hopes sank lower and lower with each failure, until finally I heard the MC cry, "We have a winner!!"

All around me, I heard the other prisoners gasp and cheer for the victor, some of them even applauding.

Then there was silence. Pure, suffocating silence. As the MC announced the next challenger.

"Why, if it isn't our own Zelos Wilder, the Chosen One!" the MC cried. "Fare thee well, Chosen! Let the fight commence!!"

I paled slightly, hearing squeals of, "The Chosen!" "Thank the Goddess!" and "Zelos will save us!" from the other prisoners.

"What do you mean, "save us"?" I asked the prisoner in the cell next to mine.

"When a challenger that isn't a prisoner wins," the neighbor explained, "they have the option of releasing a held prisoner from their cell."

I paused, thinking. Had Zelos heard my cry for help? After considering this possibilty, I shook my head. No, I supposed, the Chosen wouldn't waste him time with a lone girl from Mizuho.

"The Chosen wins! Congratulations!" The MC sang, though the announcement was difficult to hear over the cheerful screams from the women in the colliseum and the prisoners all around me. I admit, I cheered a little, too. "Say hello to those prisoners for me," the MC joked.

Just as abrupt as the cheering started did it end as the dungeon door creaked open. Footsteps echoed from the hall, and finally, Zelos came into view. He looked around at the cells for a moment, then our eyes locked. Time froze, but Zelos defied this and approached my cell. "See? Fate led me to meet you again," Zelos said through gritted teeth. He held a key before my eyes, then swiftly unlocked the door. Holding his hand out for me to take, he offered me a smile, though I noticed his left hand gripping his side tightly.

I took his hand gingerly and stared at his side. Blood seeped into his clothes and between his fingers, then ran down his arm and dripped off his elbow. "Y-you're hurt!" I exclaimed.

"Nah. It's nothing." Zelos shook his head and led me out of the dungeon. "I'll be fine."

I frowned. "Let me take you to Mizuho. You can have appropriate medical attention there," I offered, squeezing his hand gently. This caused him to turn and look at me.

"That's so sweet of you, hunny!" He smiled. "Ya know what? You take me wherever you want."

I could tell rather clearly that I was blushing. "Alright. We should wrap the wound temporarily for now...so you don't bleed to death." From my backpack, I pulled out my first aid kit and glanced at him. Gently, I took his left hand away from the wound. It was pretty bad; evidently, he'd been stabbed. "Y-you...you'll have to take your...shirt off...so I can tend to the wound properly..."

Zelos gave me the most flirtatious look I'd ever seen in my life, then removed his pink vest, and finally the black shirt he wore underneath.

It must have been embarassing for him to be sitting outside the castle without a shirt on, and I'm sure he and I both noticed how much I was shaking as I cleaned the blood off with a cloth, then wrapped the wound tightly. "That should do until we get to Mizuho," I said as I finished, packing my bag again.

Zelos proceeded to put his shirt back on, then his vest, and as he did I heard him say, "Must be my lucky day; first I meet a gorgeous beauty, then she saves my life and wants to take me home!" He waited until I looked him in the eye before finishing. "I think I'm fallin' for ya, Sheena!"


	4. Goracchia Forest

Many hours of walking brought us to the entrance of Goracchia Forest (After we crossed the Tethe'alla Bridge and passed Sybak). And, as fate would have it, we arrived just in time for nightfall. Noticing my hesitation, Zelos placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, babe. I'll protect you," he told me.

"A-alright..." I murmured, creeping into the forest and making my way down the path. Yeah, I was scared. It was hard to see, there were monsters everywhere, and the legends of people dying in the forest--or entering at night and never being seen again--constantly reminded me of how dangerous it was to be there. My only reassurance was Zelos, whose footsteps reminded me that I wasn't alone.

I suppose I was doing alright when it came to keeping my chin up...that is, until I heard the snarling. Imagine the noise a rabid lion, lawnmower motor, and a jet plane taking off overhead would make all at once, and you've got a faint concept of what this snarling was like. Loud. Vicious. Terrifying. And I won't deny that I screamed and jumped into Zelos' arms when I heard it.

Zelos pulled his sword from its sheath and glared into the trees warningly, his free arm around my waist, holding me close to him. Yep, I felt protected. The snarling continued, growing louder and louder as the monster neared us. "Stay here," Zelos warned me, limping toward the source of the sound despite himself. He disappeared into the trees, and after a few moments, I was met by silence.

The longer the silence persisted, the more afraid I became. "Zelos!" I cried finally, hints of panic in my voice. "Where are you? Are you alright?!" No response. Trembling, I stepped into the trees where Zelos had gone.

Slowly, cautiously, I walked on, occasionally calling Zelos' name. Fear became panic, and panic brought tears as I stopped and leaned against a tree. "Zelos!! Where are you..."

Suddenly, I heard it. Like a stampede raging through the trees, I heard it coming. I stepped away from the trees, eyes wide with horror, until Zelos dashed past me, seizing my wrist as he ran. "Why didn't you stay put?!" he asked, pulling me back onto the path and running as fast as he could manage.

"I was...worried about you!" Allowing Zelos to all but drag me toward Mizuho, I glanced back. "What is it?!"

"Some kinda monster!" Zelos answered. "The freakin' thing nearly ate me back there!"

I fell silent to think, then skidded to a halt, stopping Zelos as well. "We can't lead that thing to Mizuho! It'll destroy the village!"

"We don't have a choice, Sheena!" Zelos argued. "I'm tellin' you if we don't get outta here, the monster's gonna--"

My scream of terror cut him off. Twice he asked me what was wrong, but all I could answer with was panicking noises and a few stutters. I pointed over his shoulder, and he turned to see the monster standing there.

The beast looked like a giant lavender-colored bear, with saliva dripping from its protruding fangs. Its claws were about as long as Zelos is tall, gleaming white beneath the moon. It howled menacingly, lumbering toward the two of us with a vicious gleam in its beady black eyes.

"Run!!" Zelos yelled, taking my hand again. I stood my ground.

"Gimme your sword," I insisted.

"No! Run! We can't fight it!!"

"_Gimme your sword_," I repeated. This time I simply snatched it from him, and ignored his cries of protest as I charged at the monster.

Zelos saw the counterattack before I did. In a swift movement, Zelos shoved me to the ground and took the hit for me, crying out in pain as the monster's claws left four bleeding wounds in his stomach.

I saw him stagger backwards and fall, and saw the monster prepare to strike again, before charging ahead and ramming Zelos' sword through the monster's gut. The beat let out a horrific roar and stumbled backwards, pawing the air frustratedly before thudding to the ground, dead. This done, I turned and knelt beside Zelos, pulling him toward me and resting his head in my lap.

"Hunny, that was awesome," Zelos gasped, clutching his wounds with a pained expression.

I shook my head and fished around in my backpack until I found the bandages. Gently, I sat him up and unclipped his vest, then pulled his shirt off. "You were foolish to do that," I scolded as I wrapped bandages around him from the waist up. "But thanks anyway." Twice I heard him hiss in pain, during one of those times did he seize my hand and squeeze it briefly.

When I finished, and Zelos was fully dressed again, he stood with a sway. "No, thank _you_," he said politely. I smiled.

That done, I helped him walk at a steady pace, exiting the forest and crossing the small grassland to Mizuho.


	5. Jealousy?

"Sheena," Tiga growled as Zelos and I entered the house. Zelos' breathing was shallow, and he seemed to be walking in a trance, his eyes open only so much with a stupefied look on his face. "What is the meaning of this? Who is this man?!"

"He is the Chosen," I answered. "You can see he's hurt, can't you?"

Tiga studied Zelos critically, focusing on the bloody holes in his shirt. "Yes...take him to your home and use the village medical to tend to those wounds." With that, he waved me off.

--------------

I managed to get Zelos to my house--a small building behind the rest of the village that consisted of only three rooms: a kitchen, bathroom, and another large room in the center that served as a bedroom and living room type of thing--and worked by candlelight, rubbing first aid cream into the cuts and rewrapping them. As I worked, Zelos slept deeply, though his face showed an expression of pain. I decided to wash the blood out of his shirt and vest, hanging them to dry over the fireplace afterward.

After they were dry, I sewed the slashes in the shirt, polished the clips on the vest, then folded them neatly for him. Afterward I made lunch--something mainly for him, as I wasn't hungry--and set it aside for when he woke up.

It was well after noon when he finally woke. He sat up and looked around confusedly, before noticing me and smiling. "Hey gorgeous," he said, noticing the fresh bandages on his stomach and side. "You sure know how to take care of a man."

"I did what I had to do." Handing him the lunch tray, I offered him a smile of my own.

Zelos began eating voraciously, and after a moment he looked around the main room again. "Candlelight, huh? Romantic."

I flushed, mentally smacking myself in the head. He was rich, after all. I must have seemed so mediocre. "Electricity's too expensive..." I admitted.

"Ah, no big. It sets a mood." He considered for a minute or two. "The dancing flames reflect in your beautiful eyes."

I merely laughed at this and got to my feet. "I, uh...fixed your clothes," I told him, handing the shirt and vest to him.

"Thanks, hunny!" Zelos sang, pulling the shirt on with a goofy smile. Without warning he stood and put his arms around my waist, pulling me into an embrace.

I can't remember if I tried to speak...and if I did, it was probably just a bunch of stuttering. I do remember asking at one point after that, "Want me to show you around Mizuho?"

"Of course! Like I said baby; you take me wherever you wanna go." Zelos grinned.

----------------

Outside, Zelos seemed rather capable of walking, though he did have a minor limp in his right leg. He smiled and nodded with intruige as I showed him the fields, and the well, and introduced him properly to the Vice-chief. Just as I suggested going for a walk in the mountains, I noticed that Zelos had stopped to talk to my neighbor.

"Hey beauty!" Zelos chortled, smiling at her brightly. "What's your name?"

"I'm Jennai," she replied.

"Jennai..." Zelos repeated. "A fitting name for such a good-looking woman such as yourself!"

Jennai giggled, covering her mouth in surprise. "You know what to say to a lady!"

You could have fried an egg on my head. I forced myself to look casual as I walked over to Zelos. "Sorry to interrupt, but...Zelos? I asked if you wanted to go for a walk!!"

Zelos smiled at me. "Ah, Sheena! How about you let me explore this awesome village a little longer, and I'll meet you at your house later, mmmkay?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to Jennai and asked, "So what do you do for fun, hunny?"

Blown off, I started to say something, but sighed and stood ignored.

I returned home alone and moped around all day. At about sundown I made dinner, then sat waiting for Zelos to show up. Once the dinner got cold, I gave up and went to bed. At some point after midnight I woke up and looked around. No sign of Zelos. With a heavy heart, I lay back down and cried myself to sleep.


	6. Couldn't Be

The sunlight filtering through the curtains woke me up that morning. I felt, in a word, like crap. I had a sinus headache, a stuffy nose, and puffy eyes. Sitting up, I could tell my hair was most likely nothing more than a black mass of knots and tangles. My eyes wandered across the room and rested on Zelos' placid face as he slept. Annoyed though I was, I was glad to see him again. Deciding to take the opportunity to my advantage, I ran for the bathroom and fixed myself up.

When I came back, Zelos was awake, but still sprawled out on the cot I'd left for him. "There were tears on your cheeks last night," he pointed out. "It broke my heart to see them, so I wiped them away."

I felt my hand reach up to my cheek, flushing slightly. Unable to find a decent comeback, I simply choked out, "Thanks."

"You missed me, eh? Might it be....love?" Zelos singsonged.

"N-no..." I grumbled.

Zelos studied my face, his smile vanishing for only a moment. "Were you jealous, yesterday?"

I glared into his deep blue eyes and folded my arms. "No! Why would I be?!"

"Why else would you cry?" Zelos retorted. He smirked victoriously at my hesitation. "I rest my case."

Annoyed, I sat on the corner of my bed. "I'm not jealous. Never was." I was ever so curious as to how he was looking at me, because all I got for a reply was silence. But I refused to look at him--that would be giving in and breaking my pride.

"If you say so, darlin'." Zelos finally sat up. He didn't give me a split second to snap back at him as he immediately asked, "Are you going to make breakfast, or shall I?"

Thought I was tempted to get up and make the best damn breakfast I'd ever made, I snarled, "You do it," and turned away with a pout.

"Sure thing!" Nonplussed by my bad mood, Zelos got up and headed for the stove. I simply sat in silence while he bustled about the kitchen, and only really moved when he called me to eat. The table was set nicely even though it wasn't a fancy, complicated meal, and a wonderful smell filled the entire house.

"How is it? Hope you like cheese omlettes," Zelos mused, pouring he and I some orange juice.

To tell the truth, I loved cheese omelettes. And hs was the best I'd ever tasted...but I wasn't about to admit that. Instead I muttered, "It's fine," and refused to look at him the entire time.

---------------

After breakfast, Zelos headed for the door, but turned to smile at me before he went out. "Sheena...I can't thank you enough for your hospitality. But I gotta head home."

"Do what you want." I shrugged his thanks off. Deep down, I didn't want him to go...if I could have kept him there forever I would have. But my anger and jealousy due to his actions yesterday clouded my judgement.

His smile didn't falter as he pulled me into yet another hug, then dared to place a kiss on my lips. "Arrividercci," he said calmly as he glided away, leaving me standing open-mouthed and wide-eyed in the middle of the doorway.


	7. The Stalker

The days after Zelos left seemed to drag on forever. Every routine was the same. You could almost say I was becoming depressed. Whenever someone knocked on the door, I'd all but rip it from its hinges in hopes it'd be Zelos, but it as always someone else. I went through periods of serious heartache; sleeping most of the day and crying all night. The people in the village began to notice my absence at important events, and finally, the vice-chief came around.

"Sheena, this is ridiculous! You're turning into a wreck. What ails you so?" he asked, staring into my sad eyes with a furrowed brow. Concern from him like this, I hadn't seen since Grandpa was put into a coma...by me.

I shook my head. "It's nothing..."

"Nothing? Sheena, you have not been eating, or leaving your house! Surely this 'nothing' is something."

With an embarassed frown I admitted, "It has been nearly a month since the Chosen--erm, Zelos, left Mizuho..."

Tiga's eyes were suddenly full of realization. A faint smirk played about his lips as he asked, "You long for him, do you not?"

I bowed my head and said nothing. In the Igaguri style, love was to be conducted in secret. Now that I was speaking to the vice-chief about these manners, I realized what kinds of rules I'd been breaking by acting this way. This didn't motivate me to cheer up any...it only made me feel worse.

The vice-chief simply laughed. "Then I grant you permission to travel to the Imperial City of Meltokio to find Zelos, the Chosen One."

My eyes lit up as I stared back at him. "R-really? Thank you!" A smile showed through on my face as I stood, grabbing my backpack from the table and rushing out the door.

--------------

It took me nearly half the time to get to Meltokio this time than it did the last (mainly because I ran all the way there), and everything looked just as it had before. Naturally, I headed straight for the nobles' section, thinking up excuses as I went. After all, I didn't want to appear on his doorstep as a desperate, lovesick little girl, did I? Certainly not. Perhaps I could just say that the vice-chief wanted me to deliver a message to him?

I reached his house and knocked cautiously at the door, fiddling with my bow while I waited. My thoughts raced. _How would I greet him? Did my hair look okay? What if he didn't fall for my excuse? Was I blushing already? What if he wasn't home?_

It took me a moment to realize the door had opened. Blinking, I faced Zelos' butler and thinking I sounded like a seven-year-old, asked, "Is Zelos home?"

"One moment," the butler requested. I heard him walking upstairs, then open a door. Words were exchanged that I couldn't make out, before the man returned. "Is your name Sheena, ma'am?"

"Y-yes..." I answered.

The butler nodded and disappeared upstairs. Only moments later did he return--it was almost as if he didn't even need to climb the stairs to recieve his message. "I'm sorry. I've been requested to relay the following message: "Zelos isn't home. Tell her to get lost!" You understand, miss?" he said.

My cheeks burned with embarassment as I bowed my head and walked away, not bothering to give an answer to his question. Whatever hopes I had left sank to the bottom of my heart as I returned to the main plaza. With a sigh I trudged down the steps and out the main gate, and only when I reached the grand Tethe'alla Bridge did I let the tears come.

------------------

It wasn't until I was halfway through Goracchia Forest that I realized someone was following me. They were tricky, whoever it was; whenever I walked, they walked. If I stopped, they stopped. If I ran, they ran.

Pride wouldn't let me turn to see who was there, but when I saw the exit to the forest, I knew I had no choice.

"Who's there?" I challenged, whirling around with a glare. I was met by a girl maybe half my age or so, who looked extremely pissed off.

"How dare you seduce my brother, you evil witch!" she screamed. Scooping up a rock, she hurled it at me and watched it bounce off my leg.

"Ow! Your brother?!" I stared at the girl, confused. "What in the name of Martel are you talking about? Who are you?"

My questions seemed to only piss her off more. "You'd better leave my big brother alone, or I'll kill you in your sleep someday! Just you wait!" With that, she turned and ran the other way.

Though I had the urge to chase after her and beat the little snooty brat to a bloody pulp, I simply shook my head slowly and returned to the village, wondering whose younger sister that was.


	8. Waste of Time

Days of idle sadness in my house alone brought Tiga to my doorstep once again.

"Sheena," he said, "This depression simply must pass. We need your help with important matters."

"I know, sir," I answered, though I really didn't care.

"That is why I've selected you to travel to Sybak and retrieve some Zircon for me," the vice-chief said. At my disbelieving stare, he motioned toward the door. "You'd best hurry, Sheena."

--------------

"Ah, you must be Tiga's representative!" The scientist smiled brightly as she ushered me into a different room. "You came for the Zircon, right? One second."

She bustled off, leaving me standing in the middle of the room. I could hear other people talking; muffled voices behind closed doors, and footsteps bustling down many halls. The room was full of junk, the sort of stuff any normal person would pass up without a second glass.

"Here you are, miss," the scientist sang as she returned, shoving the Zircon into my hands.

I turned and left without thanking her. Sauntering toward the city exit, I was only eager for two things: first, to have this pointless errand taken care of, and second, for the sun to go away. I wanted it to rain and thunder. But it hardly mattered; everything was gray in my eyes.

Just out of boredom did I look up at the people from the ground, and what I saw made my heart leap into my throat--I dropped the box of Zircon with a start as I stared: Zelos Wilder himself stood not ten feet away, talking to some woman with that same goofy smile.

At first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. There was just no way Zelos would be there! Slowly, I stepped closer, and closer. As I neared him, I heard his cheery voice as he conversed: "If you're ever in Meltokio, look me up, hunny! I'll give ya a place to stay for the night."

Then I froze. Was he hitting on some girl he'd never even seen before, _again_?! Upon listening in on his conversation a little more, I sadly realized that yes, he was.

I burst into tears at that moment and took off running with a choked sob. Evidently, this sparked Zelos' attention, because I heard him call after me just after I fled the city.

Like I'd wished for, it began to rain, and lightning lit my dark path through the forest. My heart ached like never before, and I knew--being in love with Zelos, the Chosen, was a complete waste of time.

Sloshing through puddles of mud and rain water, I sighed with a shudder and burst into tears all over again. It got to be where I couldn't see where I was going, so I sat under a tree and listened to the thunder. The rain came down harder and harder, it seemed, with every tear I shed, and I was freezing, shivering, and soaking wet. At this rate, I'd be sick for days, if not a week or two.

Not long after a rather painful sneezing fit, I heard, faintly, "Sheena! Where are you?!"

My eyes widened. The call came again, and again. Cupping my hands on either side of my mouth, I called back with a croaky voice, "Over here!!"

After that, the calls stopped. I didn't hear footsteps, or anything at all, but almost out of thin air, Zelos showed up in front of me. At that point I figured I was dilusional and so sick I would die. He said a few things to me, words that were all blended together in a slur, while his movements were extra-slow and blurry. I saw him take his vest and hold it horizontally, and wrap it around me, before I blacked out in his arms.


	9. Love Again

I woke in my own bed, a warm fire burning in the fireplace. The candles were all lit and I could smell something cooking in the kitchen. My head pounded as I peered around, bewildered.

"Oh, you're up," Zelos mused as I pulled myself into a sitting position.

It took a moment for me to register who was speaking in my numbed-out mind. "...You!" My voice didn't sound like my own. It was raspy and croaky...like a dying frog.

"Yep. Me." Zelos offered me a smile; I returned it with a scowl.

"What are you doing here?!" I demanded.

Zelos spooned some sort of soup into a bowl and shoved it into my hands. "You'd best eat that. You need the strength," he told me, ignoring my question.

I glanced down at the contents of the bowl. It smelt really good, and the steam told me it would be nice and hot. Hesitantly, I ate at it. It was delicious, to say the least.

"Tiga tells me you've been depressed," Zelos said. He gave me a sorrowful sort of stare. I looked away. "It's not healthy to be heartsick, hunny."

I said nothing, only continuing to eat. Finding it rather unbelievable that the vice-chief would tell him something like that, I shook my head slowly.

"To tell the truth," Zelos admitted, "I'm surprised you missed me so much!"

Now, for some reason, I was exceedingly annoyed. "So am I."

"Fiesty, aren't you?" Zelos folded his arms.

I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you just piss off, jerk?!"

"Is that any way to talk to the man who saved your life?"

"You _RUINED_ my life," I retorted with a glare, but immediately regretted it. He looked so hurt, so...sad, for a moment. He turned his back to me and began pacing. _Probably deciding on whether or not he should leave,_ I figured.

"I didn't mean that." The words shot out of my mouth before I could even begin to think about them. "I-I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, baby." He turned and smiled at me, like nothing had ever gone wrong. Like there was never a conflict. "People have a nasty habit of saying what they don't mean."

I lowered my gaze, finishing off the rest of my soup.

"You know you could have just come after me," Zelos said.

Trying my best not to take on an offensive expression, I said, "I did. Your butler told me someone inside said for me to get lost; you weren't home."

"Someone insi--oh, it must have been Seles." Zelos tossed his hair over his shoulder.

I shrugged. Though I was curious, I didn't have the heart to ask. For all I knew, Seles could be one of his swanky geishas...and I didn't want to deal with the heartache if it was. Placing the bowl on the table, I got shakily to my feet, Zelos' cape swinging along the ground as I walked. I was headed for the kitchen, but I soon noticed that Zelos was following...closely.

Determined to shake him off, I turned sharply to the right and headed for a random corner of the room, figuring that he wasn't really following me, but wanted to get into the kitchen for something. Wrong. He cornered me against the wall and placed his hands on my shoulders with a wink.

I was trapped. All I could do was stare, my eyes wide as I fell headlong into his. A tantalizing smile remained on his face, and I soon found myself leaning toward him. Finally I snapped to attention, when I realized what I was doing--I was kissing him, for Martel's sake!

Startled, I began to jerk back, but Zelos held me in place, watching me for a moment. I closed my eyes, coming to a point of realization: I was in love with Zelos, the Chosen, and it wasn't a waste of time.


	10. Seles

The next morning, I was sprawled out on the floor, a pillow over my head. Zelos lay nearby, sleeping soundly by the fire. I got up and stretched, then wandered into the kitchen. Before long I had a plateful of pancakes and two glasses of orange juice on the table.

Zelos woke with a start and noticed me watching him, a sleepy smile spreading across his face. "G'morning..." he yawned.

"Morning." I smiled. "Hungry?"

Zelos stood. "Starved." He and I headed for the kitchen.

Over breakfast we talked about all sorts of things, explaining our pasts, and things that we wouldn't normally tell random people on the street...which is technically what we were toward each other. The conversation slowly drifted to the subject of Meltokio, however.

"Oh, that reminds me." He stood up. "I gotta be home soon." He laughed, noting my sudden change in expression (I'd gone from smiling and content to frowning and wide eyed). "Don't worry, I won't vanish forever."

I placed my forehead in my left hand, the elbow on that arm propped up on the table, and covered my mouth with my right hand as I muttered, "Don't go..." and sighed.

"Baby, you know as well as I do that I'd love to stay a little longer." Zelos winked, and I raised my head slightly. "But I'm needed elsewhere right now."

Defeated, I opened the door for him. "Well...goodbye..."

"Don't be sad. I'll be back." Giving me a tight hug, he stepped out and walked away.

--------------

Hours later, I spent my time cleaning up around the house, humming a wordless tune to myself as a motivator type of thing. The sun had long since gone down, so the fire cast a cheerful glow into the room. The song I was humming got quicker and more difficult to dance about to, and it wasn't until I stumbled over one of the wooden kitchen chairs and fell to the ground that I became aware of the fact that I still had Zelos' vest. After I'd fallen, the pink cape flew over my head and hung in my face, shielding everything else from view. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. It smelled like him.....but more importantly, I had to return it!

---------------

I was in the Meltokio area before I realized I was. Rushing up to the main gate, my jaw dropped open when I found it closed for the night. "Oh, no..." I muttered under my breath, looking around desperately. My eyes settled on a side path, partially covered with weeds and unmowed grass. Cautiously, I crept down the path and blinked. It led to the entrance of a sewer. "Ugh..." I groaned, covering my nose at the smell. "Guess I don't have a choice," I decided.

Once I climbed out of the manhole behind the item store, I crept up the stairs and managed to find my way to the nobles' section.

Just before I reached Zelos' manor, I heard the sound of footsteps running at me. I whirled around to face my pursuer, and my eyes met the vicious glare of the young girl from the forest.

"You're after my brother again, aren't you?!" she snarled.

I blinked. "No, I'm only here to return the Chosen's--"

"Like I said!" the girl barked, pulling out a knife, "You're after my brother!"

I stood with an expression of vacant stupidity on my face, trying to put two and two together. Finally it made sense. "You're Zelos' sister? ...Seles?"

"What if I am?"

I scowled, reaching for my cards. "What is it you're accusing me of, Seles?" I demanded. The nagging feeling you get when you think something's going to go wrong came to me. It was sort of aggravating. I really didn't feel like picking a fight with a little kid.

Instead of giving me an answer, Seles dove at me, swinging the blade in her hand wildly. I could tell she wasn't skilled with knives by the way she missed me every time. One swift whack with my Asuras, several of them all fanned out, was all it took to send the girl sprawling across the street.

Seles had guts though. She tackled me once again, and I batted her away. Just as I began to get up, she ran at me, leapt up, and pinned me to the ground by the throat. "I've got you now!" she jeered, holding the dagger as if she were going to stab me.

I decided enough was enough. With a flick of my wrist, the Asura cards flew in all directions, sharp as knives, leaving cut after cut on Seles' skin. The young girl backed off, and I assumed she'd given up.

"I'll get you, you can count on it!" she warned as she turned and ran.

"I'd like to see you try," I sneered, brushing myself off and collecting the few Asuras I could find, then heading toward the manor.


	11. Secret

"Hi...is Zelos around? I need to return something to him." I offered my most polite smile to Sebastian, the butler, and held out the neatly folded vest to prove my words.

After looking over the vest, Sebastian nodded. "Come in, miss Sheena." He stepped aside and swung the door open, a blast of warm air from the heater hitting me in the face as I did as I was told. The place was absolutely amazing, the marble floors glossy and clean, with expensive wood furniture in what I assumed was a dining room. "Master Zelos should be upstairs in his room," the butler told me.

I nodded and crept upstairs, staring at the plush carpet in the hallway before knocking at the first door I saw. "Zelos, you there? It's me. Sheena." Shifting my weight, I could only hope this room was Zelos', though every door looked the same, so one could only guess which was which. They could have _all_ been his room, for all I knew.

The door opened a moment later. "Missed me already?" Zelos teased, gesturing for me to come in. He looked the same as always, albeit a little tired, and I was relieved. Hopefully I hadn't interrupted anything.

I smiled shyly. "You could say that...actually, I was just stopping by to return...this." I handed him the vest.

"Ah, thanks." He grinned as he put it on. "I was beginning to think you were gonna keep it." He paced a little, silent, then stopped and looked at me with a serious expression. "But there's something I gotta tell you that you can't say to anyone else."

Baffled, I returned the serious glance. "A-alright..." I probably didn't look it, but I was thrilled--he trusted me enough to tell me a secret!

"I'm leaving Meltokio for awhile. The King's getting suspicious and there's going to be a shakeup soon, I can tell," he explained.

I moved toward him, clasping my hands together. "Where will you go?"

He shook his head. "I...can't tell you that, yet." His hesitance brought me down a little.

"I'm going with you." The words came so quickly, even I was startled at first.

"No." Zelos pursed his lips. "I'm not going to put you in danger." This wasn't something I expected him to say, and there was a brief moment of silence between us before I regained my senses.

"Exactly...I'm putting _myself_ in danger," I argued.

"I can't let you do that, baby," Zelos said, pulling me close to him. I rested my head against his chest, listening to his heart pound rapidly. Was he...scared? "Just leaving my house is dangerous enough. I can't risk you getting punished for my screwups."

I looked up at him. "Please...?" Toying with the bottom of his shirt, I pouted. My methods of persuasion were endless. "Don't worry about me. I can handle anything!"

"Fine." Zelos sighed. "But I'm warning you, if we get into trouble, I'll put your life before mine."

I smirked as I retorted, "And I'll put yours before mine. Looks like we're even."

"...That it does." Zelos smiled and kissed my cheek.

------------

We snuck outside together, making our way toward the manhole--our only escape. Crossing the main plaza, I began to notice the foreboding silence and darkness of the city. That is to say, if I thought it was intimidating during the day, it was certainly worse at night.

Suddenly there were search lights shining in our eyes. The Pope's voice roared over a megaphone, "Halt! You are under arrest by order of the King!"

"Damn!" Zelos looked around nervously. "You can either run, or stay back while I fight," he told me.

"Forget it!" I pulled my enchanted cards out. "You're not doing this alone!"

"Resistance is futile!" the Pope growled, and before long Zelos and I found ourselves surrounded and heavily outnumbered. "Take the girl to the dungeon, but the Chosen...we shall behead him here!"

"No!" I realized I was screaming, fighting away from the Papal Knights. During my struggle I saw Zelos get pushed to his knees, one of the Knights about to behead him with a scythe.

"Sheena....Sheena!! _Help_!" Zelos squirmed, unable to get away. He lifted his head slightly to search for me, calling my name several more times.

Though I was surprised he'd actually asked for help, I fought my way to his side and shoved the executionist back, pulling Zelos to his feet. Hearing the _woosh_ of the scythe behind me, I pushed Zelos onward and lifted the lid of the manhole. "Go!" I yelled in his ear, and all but threw him inside and jumped after him.


	12. Trust

The fall was further than I thought. When I hit the ground I stumbled forward, only to be caught around the waist before I fell from the ledge. My first thought was that the Papal Knights had come after me, so I screamed and panicked more when a hand was clamped over my mouth. I was pulled into the shadows, and was pushed up against a cold wall. But all doubts vanished when I heard, "Sheena...shh, it's okay. I gotcha."

"Zelos," I sighed as he pulled his hand away, squinting through the dark until I found his shoulder, which I leaned against. "I was so worried..."

"Thanks for the help." Zelos shifted a little and managed to kiss me, holding me close. "I owe you one."

I buried my face into his chest, breathing deeply, when I caught the scent of blood. Zelos seemed to notice too, because he held me at arm's length, eyes glistening with worry. "Sheena...?"

"I'm not hurt," I said slowly, meeting his gaze and falling headfirst into it.

Slowly, Zelos glanced over my shoulder, then pulled me to the side and stood up. I watched, transfixed in place, while he approached a figure on the ground. "H-hey..." he murmured, drawing his sword and prodding the body with the hilt.

"Please..." the figure gasped, "Help me...please...Chos...en..."

I caught myself muttering "Godess..." under my breath as I too inched toward the figure. "What happened? Can we help him, Zelos?"

"Yeah." Zelos held the flat of his blade over the man, muttering a minor healing incantation quietly.

"Th-thank you," the man said, getting to his feet. He was wearing a hooded black cloak that covered all but his face. "Chosen One."

I stood clueless, but Zelos stared at the man with disbelief. "Taro?!"

"Ah, so you recognize me. Very good," the man replied.

Zelos folded his arms, and I instinctively took a step toward him. "Why aren't you at the church? You had enough of the Pope's crap, too?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Taro replied. "I'm going to make my way to Flanoir and stay at the Martel Temple there."

"Oh. Well, good luck to you," Zelos said. Taro nodded his head, and the three of us went our seperate ways; the man heading down the path, Zelos and I walking down the stairs.

-------------

"Egh," I grumbled, looking around with disgust. "Rats..."

Zelos chuckled. "You afraid of 'em, hunny?"

"No!" I shook my head vigorously. "They're just gross." My cheeks burned as Zelos chuckled again, telling me he'd protect me from the big, bad rats.

-----------

We neared the exit, following the stream of sewage water. I trailed a few feet behind Zelos, who told me he knew this sewer like the back of his hand. But when he stopped short and looked around hesitantly, I couldn't help but smirk. "Have you gotten us lost?" I asked.

"No..." Zelos motioned toward a rather large gap in the bridge we were walking over. "Think you can jump that?"

I scanned the hole. It was huge--maybe the size of that bear demon thing, plus a half. Not wanting to sound chicken, I simply said, "Only if you can first."

"If you say so." Zelos shrugged and took a step back, then jumped all the way across with a running start. "Your turn!"

My eyes widened. At this point, I didn't really care if I looked scared or not. "I...I can't," I said, taking a small step backwards.

"Yes, you can!" Zelos stepped toward the edge and reached his hand out. "Trust me!"

"B-but...but..." I cowered in the gap's general direction, trembling. The pitch black void I would fall into if I didn't make it across truly terrified me, though I can't say why...

Zelos sighed. "Come on, Sheena."

I stared at the hole. Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fists, stepped back, and, with a running start, jumped further than I had in my entire life. My hands flew out in front of me, the tips of my fingers just barely grazing the opposite edge. "Zelos!" I screamed in a panic. "Help me...!!"

"I gotcha..." Zelos said calmly, seizing my hand and pulling me up slowly. Twice I started to slip from his grasp, but finally, he hoisted me over the top.

I was in hysterics for the next five minutes. Zelos held me tightly in a comforting hug, whispering, "It's okay," and "Don't cry," every so often. When I finally calmed down, he helped me up and smiled. "See? You can trust me, hunny. I wouldn't let a pretty lady like you die."

As we exited the sewer, I realized I'd learned something about him: if he asks you to trust him, you probably can. This revelation made me feel even closer to him, and I hoped someday we'd reach the point of ultimate trust.

But not all wishes come true...right away.


	13. Parting Ways

I don't know about Zelos, but I was absolutely elated upon leaving the sewer. We decided we'd make a pit-stop at Sybak to rest and replenish our travelling supplies, and once we reached the city, my fatigue caught up to me. By the time we went to sleep at the inn, the sun was just coming up, and when we woke it was a little after noon.

"Ready to hit the shops, hunny?" Zelos asked after I'd brushed my hair (and his--tee hee!) I nodded.

Outside, I browsed for apple gels and such while Zelos wandered around. I was a little taken aback that he would make me pay for everything, but nevertheless I finished shopping and turned to find Zelos.

He was standing nearby, chatting it up with some lady. I shrugged, figuring he was just asking directions. _After all_, I thought, _he wouldn't go flirt with random people after what I did for him, right_?

Zelos grinned stupidly and tossed his head as he spoke, paying no attention to the fact that I was standing right beside him. "I bet you'd look even sexier in leather!" he told her.

My eye twitched a little. "Zelos...ready to go?" I took his arm gently, but he pulled away and stared at me with incredulity.

"Oh? Who's this?" the woman asked, giving me a once-over and a critical glare.

Zelos stared at me. His deep blue eyes locked on mine, glistening in the sun. I waited, silent, for him to tell her. He'd say, 'Oh, that's Sheena. Ain't she something?'. Then the two of us would continue onward, talking and laughing all the way.

"Never seen her before." That was Zelos' answer.

A feeling of vertigo swept over me. My blood boiled, and eyes shot open in offended surprise. I raised my fist, having every intention on hitting one of the two in front of me, but could only manage to choke out, "You heartless bastard!" and storm away, tearing the doorknob off the inn door as I went inside.

Throwing myself onto the bed, I cried myself into a stupor, fell asleep, then woke up and cried some more. Once or twice I threw up, even though there was nothing in my stomach. I gagged on tears and got to be so congested, I couldn't breathe. Sleep overcame me once again, and only released its hold when Zelos showed up that night.

"Heeeeeeeeey, Sheena!" he sang with a cheerful smile.

Just hearing his voice made my head pound. I reached across the table and seized the lamp, hurling it at him. It shattered as it connected with his chest.

"Get the hell out of here I _hate_ you! I can't believe you would do that to me after all we've been through!!" I screamed.

"Do what to you?!" Zelos demanded. "What did I--" He didn't have time to finish before I ripped a painting off the wall and broke it over his head. Splintered wood and glass flew in all directions.

"Get OUT!" I snarled.

"Sheena, please!" Zelos yelped, covering his head and stepping backwards. He almost looked like he was going to cry, and that's exactly what I wanted. I wanted him to cry, to throw up his guts, to hurt like I was hurting.

I shook with rage and sadness. "Either you get out, or I will," I warned. And I was serious.

He tried one last time to get an explaination from me. "Sheena, please. Don't do this I don't want it to end this way," he said. "I like having you around, and I think I really am falling for you, hunny!"

That's what made me snap. Bursting into tears all over again, I grabbed my stuff and fled the building. I didn't stop running until I got to Mizuho.

There, the vice-chief seemed to be waiting for me. "Sheena!" he cried as I ran past, but I ignored him and locked myself in my house for three days straight, refusing to open the door for anyone.

On the fourth day, the vice-chief broke my door down. He called the village medics and had me sent to a hospital later on.

I was dying. No food, no water, nothing in my system for the past three or four days. Instead I'd lay there, only concious when I was throwing up. At night I'd frozen, having no source of light or heat, and thus I'd picked up a hell of a fever. My breathing was labored, and my heart was working double-time to keep the blood flowing.

I don't remember being in the hospital; Tiga told me later that I'd been unconcious nearly the entire time. But the next day I was released under supervision, and two days after that I was allowed to be left alone at night.

The depression never ceased, though. I'd never been in so much pain. Thinking back, sometimes I was so happy I'd met Zelos...when he wasn't being a major jerk, the guy really made me feel like I was something special. Then there were the days that I hated ever meeting him. I damned that day and everything about it. I wished poor fortune on Zelos and regretted ever saving his sorry life from being beheaded. Of course later, I'd be kicking myself for thinking such things.

Every day was the same boring thing, until the day the Renegades came to the village. They entered the vice-chief's house and spoke to him about something strictly confidential, then were gone just as fast at they'd come. Later, Tiga came to my house. He told me of the Renegades' proposal: They needed somone to assassinate the Chosen (my eyes lit up) from the opposing world--Sylvarant--(_So much for that, _I thought) and he wanted me to be the one to do it.

"Why me?" I asked dismally.

"Becuase you need to get out and do something with yourself. This depression needs to be lifted somehow. Perhaps accomplishing something for you country will help?" he suggested. I tried to refuse, but he would have none of it. "Go," he demanded.

So I went.

-----------

**Author's Note: THANK YOU SOoOoOoOo MUCH for the reviews, everyone! They're real motivators. I would have quit working on this if it weren't for you. -; Keep reviewing, and be patient. My current fever is hindering my ability to work, but when I get better I plan on posting two and three chapters a day, awrighty? Peace!**


	14. Mid Story Pause

**Author's Note: This chapter is done in third-person, like the first one. Hopefully you won't get all confused-like... AND ALSO!!! I haven't been doing a disclaimer at all. So here it is:**

**-Makes long drawn out speech- I own many things in life. Tales of Symphonia is not one of those things. Doesn't that suck? **

-------------

"This is the part where you met your friends, right mommy?" The little girl asked with a happy smile.

Sheena smiled as well, though hers was a bit more faraway. "Yeah. I met Lloyd and Colette, Genis, Raine, and Kratos in Sylvarant."

"You don't have to tell me this part, mommy." The girl shifted until she was more comfortable, looking around the small room briefly before smiling up at her mother again.

Sheena blinked down at her. "Oh? Why?"

"Uncle Lloyd told me!" Without waiting for a response, she went on, "He told me how you fell down the big hole, (Sheena's ears burned at this memory) and how you were nice to the kids in Luin, and how you saved Pietro, and--"

"Yes...I know." Sheena interrupted her daughter calmly. "I remember it all so well..."

Sheena's daughter giggled and poked her mom in the side. "Tell me about when you went back to Tethe'alla!"

"Okay." Sheena cleared her throat, indicating that she was ready to talk for a long time. "I'd changed since I went to Sylvarant. Many of my wounds Zelos had made healed, and my new friends helped me feel better when I was sad or discouraged. When I went back to Tethe'alla, I seperated from the group, but we later met up on the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge..."

---------

**Author's note 2: Alright, the next chapter will be from Sheena's POV again, and the fic will start to sorta follow the game's storyline for awhile. Keep reviewing! **


	15. Feeling's Mutual

I couldn't believe my eyes. Zelos was with them! I didn't know why, or how, but regardless, Zelos was standing amongst _MY_ friends with a goofy smile on his _stupid_ face.

"What are you staring at, Sheena?" Genis asked, gawking at me with confusion in his childishly adorable blue eyes. Everyone else turned to me with the same questioning expression.

"N-nothing." I turned my head quickly. "What's going on?"

"We're gonna go..."pick up" the Rheairds," Lloyd answered. "Not sure what that means..."

Zelos smiled. "To the Fooji Mountains, hunnies!"

At that moment he made direct eye contact with me. His gaze spoke words I couldn't decipher, but the brief scowl screamed one word loud and clear: hurt. I couldn't bear to look. I turned away again, falling into step with Lloyd.

----------

All the way to the summit, my head was in the clouds. More often than not, Lloyd had to practically scream in my ear to alert me of a ledge I would fall off if I didn't change direction. Once or twice, I tripped over a rock and fell. Lloyd started to say something, but all I got out of it was, "....okay? .....wierd......lately.......you.........Bridge!"

I did manage to notice that we reached the summit. Zelos stepped around me witha bit of overdramatic conspicuousy, and that's all it took to send me packing for Lala Land again.

It slowly became clear that we were in some sort of a trap, and that Lloyd was aruging over something with someone. Not long after this revalation did I hear, "Sheena, look out!"

My eyes snapped open. I saw the blade come at me, aimed for right between the eyes. I screamed, covering my face with my arms, but somehow, felt myself fly backwards and hit the ground with a soft thud. When I regained my senses, Zelos was standing over me, shielding he and I both with his Omega shield.

"Are you okay, Sheena?!" Lloyd asked.

My eyes widened, but were narrowed in a hostile, not to mention ungrateful, glare. "I'm fine."

"Get outta my way," Zelos growled, brandishing his sword at our attacker; Pronyma, the woman on the monitor at the Asgard ranch. I stepped aside, simply watching while Zelos, Lloyd, Raine, and Genis took on the Desian.

------------

Later that day, we ended up staying at Zelos' mansion while waiting for our modified EC to be prepared by the Elemental Research Academy. Since I'd gone, Zelos had put a large vase of flowers up by the door, and since they smelled nice, I decided to make that corner my place to sleep. I refused to share a room with anyone, because I knew they'd all ask what my problem was, and I certainly didn't feel like talking about it.

But after everyone else went to bed, Zelos scoped me out and trapped me.

"Why'd you leave, Sheena?" he demanded. I didn't answer. "I went after you, and got caught!" he growled. Still, I said nothing. He fell silent for a moment, then asked in a much more quiet, sensitive tone; "You don't care, do you? You really _do_ hate me...don't you?"

I didn't even need to think about my answer. "Yeah. I do."

Zelos pursed his lips, closing his eyes tightly as if begging me to change my mind about him telepathically. This I couldn't understand. Why would he care? Heartless bastard...

"Then I guess the feeling's mutual." With that, he turned away and marched off.

My cheeks burned and tingled, suggesting that I was blushing, or that I was going to cry. "Say what you want!" I called back defensively. Zelos paused halfway up the stairs, but said nothing, not even as he slammed his bedroom door behind him.

I sat seething, infuriated, and beginning to feel the old heartache again. Somehow, I had to make that stupid Chosen feel the hurt I'd been feeling for so long. When I heard Lloyd's sleepy voice call, "Hey, Sheena, what's up? What's all the noise?" I got my answer. I would act like I had the hots for Lloyd! _That'd_ piss Zelos off...hopefully.

"It's nothing, Lloyd...but could you come here for a moment?" I answered. Lloyd trudged downstairs, shirtless.

"What is it?" he mumbled.

I smiled in spite of myself. "Will you stay here with me tonight? It's dark, a-and...I'm scared." Maybe I was overdoing it?

Lloyd looked baffled for the longest time. "Um...okay..." he mused, sitting down in the corner beside me.

This was easier than I thought. I slipped my hands around Lloyd's waist and snuggled up against him, resting my head against his bare chest. Sleep caught up to me rather quickly, and before long, I was asleep.

---------

The next morning, I woke to find myself laying on Lloyd's stomach, the boy sprawled out on the floor beneath me. "A-AAAH!" I yelped, shooting up with a start. It took me a moment to remember my plan. Shaking the surprise out of my head, I heard Zelos' bedroom door open and his voice, tinted with confusion and sleepiness: "What's going on...?"

Perfect timing. I lay back down on Lloyd with a mischievious smirk. "Nothing, Zelos." All I heard was silence behind me. So desperately did I want to see the look on his face, but I didn't have the heart to turn. A moment later I heard him coming downstairs.

He bent down beside me and scowled into my eyes. "Two can play at this game," he warned, waving a finger in my face.

Assuming my most innocent voice, I asked, "What game?" as I toyed with Lloyd's hair. I knew Zelos was pissed off. When he didn't give me an immediate answer, I went on with a bit of maliciousness in my tone, "I only want you to hurt like I do..."

That set him off. He stood up and glared at me before stomping away. Seeing him angry brought me a sense of pride.

Lloyd stirred and woke up. He blinked at me, then sat up. "Good morning...erm..."

"Morning, Lloyd," I sang. I sat still as Lloyd looked around, then stood and inched toward the stairs. "Tell the others to be ready to go," I told him. "I wanna get outta here."

"S-sure." Lloyd nodded and bolted off to his room.


	16. Goracchia Forest, Take Two

We went through a lot after we recieved the EC. In order to save Presea, the little girl that was becoming a victim of the Angelus Project, we would have to travel through the Goracchia Forest and Ozette to reach a dwarf by the name of Altessa. He was the only one able to make a Key Crest strong enough to restrain Presea's Cruxis Crystal.

Being in this dark forest brought back many memories. I remembered the bear monster and Zelos' valiance, and how scared I got when he wandered into the trees alone. Now I hated those memories. I hated everything about Zelos.

"Kinda creepy," Colette said quietly, looking around hesitantly. I shrugged, too busy listening to Zelos tell Lloyd and Genis a fake scary story about the forest, just to spook them. And it was working. It was almost cute, how they stood there cowering while Zelos laughed behind his hand.

This speculation got boring soon enough, and soon I found myself slowing down. My mind was saying, _Pick up the pace, before he catches up_! but my heart cried, _Slow down, walk with him...you know you want to._ But my pride wouldn't let me. Instead I walked with Raine and listened to her yammer about some sort of ruin she'd seen...or something, anyway. The conversation was really one-sided; I just nodded, said "Ah huh,"and "Hmm," every so often, and pretended to look interested when she turned toward me.

_Finally_, I thought. Raine had shut up and walked on ahead. The only downside was that I was stuck trailing right along with Zelos. The tension was suffocating. Who would give in first? It was all I could do to keep from talking, even to myself. I had to bite my tongue and dig my nails into my palms.

"I think I hear something," Colette said. Thank Martel, a change in subject.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Footsteps," Colette answered. "Lots of them."

"Must be the Papal Knights again," Zelos mused. His voice made my nose cold.

"The footsteps...are getting closer," Colette said forebodingly.

I stood back and listened while everyone discussed what we should do. No one could agree on anything.

"I'll take you all to Mizuho," I said finally I knew Tiga wouldn't like it, but as of now, we had no choice.

Zelos glanced at me apprehensively. "Woah. Mizuho? But outsiders aren't allowed there!" he pointed out. As if I didn't know.

"You're one to talk," I snapped, leading everyone from the forest.


	17. Nighttime

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. I don't own anything! ...Well I own some shit. But ToS isn't included. Y'know technically I do own ToS...I mean, I bought a copy of it for Gamecube, right? So doesn't that mean...-dragged off-**

**Zelos: -holds up a sign: "SHE DOESN'T OWN TOS. NOW READ THE STORY!"-**

**---------------**

Later that night, after we'd all bunkered down at my house, Colette began telling us stories. Stuff about Spiritua, Martel, the Hero Mithos, the journey of world Regeneration, and releasing the seals. We discussed the Desians' intentions over dinner and had a debate about Yggdrasil and Kratos before bed.

Lloyd was the first to fall asleep. Then Genis, Raine, Zelos, Presea, and Colette. My mind wouldn't settle, I couldn't sleep. Being back home made me uncomfortable. Everyone seemed to be so noisy in their sleep...it was distracting. Eventually I began to hear less and less, until I drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, I woke with a start. Something felt different. I was still sitting up, leaning against the wall, and everything was still really noisy--someone was snoring, for Martel's sake.

Then I noticed Zelos. He was sitting right beside me, asleep, I assumed, with his arms around me. My first instinct was to punch him in the gut and wring his scrawny little neck. But an unsettling affection swept over me as I stared at him. I found myself smiling secretively, inching closer to him and nestling my head on his shoulder. Silence swallowed the two of us--I didn't even hear that snoring. I didn't hear _anything_.

Until Zelos muttered, "I knew it. I knew it! You still want me!"

My eyes widened to the fullest. "Y-you...you're awake?!" I cried. This just wasn't fair. He wasn't _supposed_ to be awake, dammit!

"Better believe it, baby!" Zelos grinned. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist."

He caught me, I admit that. But I wasn't going to let him know it. "I-I didn't know it was you!" I shot back. "I thought it was Lloyd!"

"Lloyd?" Zelos snorted, very audibly, and gestured a few feet away, where the boy was making a sound like a hippopotamus gargling maple syrup. "Don't lie to me."

"I..." Lowering my head, I gave up. Busted, that's what I was.

Zelos raised his eyebrows, indicating that I should finish. I could see glimmers of hope in his eyes, like he was expecting me to suddenly pour out my heart to him, or something.

"I hate you," I grumbled, rubbing the spots out of my eyes. I felt like crying again, but I never would, not in front of him...in fact, that time at the sewers was a total fluke. Never should've happened.

"Aw." Zelos placed a hand over his heart and pretended to look distressed. "And here I was thinking you were going to tell me how much you're _sorry_, and want to love me..."

"Pshhhh..." I shook my head. He was so _impossible_. "Don't count on it."

He stood up and gave me a long stare. "I'll keep that in mind. 'Til then, don't ever hesitate if you need some company." He winked, and crossed the room to where he'd been sleeping originally. Thank Martel.

Wrinkling my nose up at him, I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out and slid down the wall, falling asleep as soon as my head touched the ground.

-----------

I woke once more that night. It must have been at least three o'clock, maybe a little later. Lloyd was no longer gargling maple syrup, and had begun to make some sort of...clucking sound in his sleep. There was one thing I was sure of--I would never want to spend the rest of my life with that kid. He'd drive me up to high heaven and back.

Rubbing the back of my head, I rolled over and squirmed around until I was more comfortable, then closed my eyes lightly and laid down on the pillow beside me. I was just about to fall asleep again, when I began to have these inkling feelings, like something was just not right. To ease my thoughts, I reminesced, replaying the events of that evening.

My mind passively hit its _pause_ button when I recalled going to sleep a few hours ago. Zelos had crossed the room, and I'd slipped down the wall and gone to sleep, right? There hadn't been a pillow there before. I seemed to go through a phase of paralysis, and when that faded I lifted my head, turning to look at the 'pillow' slowly.

I was right, it wasn't a pillow. It was Zelos. _Of course!_ I thought. "What the hell are you doing?" I snarled, prodding the side of his head with my knuckles. This was as far from clocking him as I was willing to get, and he should have considered himself lucky. He didn't respond. "Quit pretending to be asleep, you idiot!" When he didn't answer a second time, I gave up and socked him in the side of the head.

Zelos jumped to a sit and looked around like the ceiling was caving in, clutching the side of his head in surprise. "What?" he murmured, baffled until he got a good look at my face. I could only guess what he was thinking, with his eyebrows arched and a smile concealing snickers on his face. "Oh, were you watching me sleep? Was I talking about you?"

"No, you jackass!" I don't know what made me so mad, but I hit him over the head three more times before he scrambled away. "You sicko!" I yelled after him.

He looked as confused as I'd ever seen him. "What'd I do _NOW_?" he asked, covering the top of his head with both arms in case I whaled on him again.

"You tried to sleep with me again!" I retorted.

Zelos continued to look thoroughly lost. "No...after ealier, I stayed on my side of the room!" he insisted. He gazed around with glossy eyes, taking in every detail of the living room, then trained his gaze on a single something.

"What?" I stared into his dark eyes, trying to see what he was seeing in them.

"_You're_ the one who came over _here_," the Chosen said, pointing at Lloyd. I narrowed my eyes at him, and let my memory rewind itself, then play back again. I couldn't ever remember going across the room with him.

But then I paused again. Hadn't Lloyd been just a few feet away last time? Now he was on the opposite side of the room. A wave of vertigo washed over me as I realized that Zelos was indeed correct. I must have gotten up in my sleep and gone over to him...

I had become entranced in my thoughts, but a few chuckles from Zelos brought me out of it. "You _do_ still want me," he pointed out. "But don't worry hunny." He lay back down and folded his hands behind his head, watching me with an expectant look. "I won't push you away like you do to me all the time," he promised.

I got hit over the head with vertigo again. With mixed emotions, I stood and tried to glare at him, though I have a feeling it came out as an exasperated frown, then crept across the room, stuffing myself as far into the corner as I could get and laying there awake for the rest of the night.


	18. To Save Presea

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. Mmmmmmmmkay?**

----------

I woke to the soft murmuring of my friends' voices and a few rays of retina-frying sunshine in my eyes the next morning. I inhaled deeply as I stretched, then released the breath and stood up. My friends had all converged around the kitchen table and were speaking quietly amongst themselves, though when I entered the room, all conversation ceased.

"Morning, sunshine!" Zelos called out, smiling cheerily at me from the far end of the table. He, as well as the others, looked as though they'd been up for quite awhile, and were more than ready to set out. I narrowed my eyes at Zelos and took a seat between Colette and Presea.

All eyes were averted from me. The two beside me slowly inched their chairs away, and not even Zelos said a word in my direction (aside from the greeting). Baffled, I looked from face to face and tilted my head to the side, trying to figure out why everyone was so hush-hush. That's when I noticed that they were shying away from Zelos just as well. Genis and Lloyd had slid away from him, no one making eye contact with him.

"What's with you guys?" Zelos demanded, taking Lloyd by the shoulder and shaking him. "Why're you all so quiet?"

Lloyd jerked back, looking determined not to tell. I suppose out of guilt, he looked up at me for a moment, and seemed to freeze when I glared threateningly at him. "U-uh," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. Everyone else turned to look at Lloyd. "Well..."

"We heard you and Zelos last night," Raine admitted.

I could feel a rush of heat wash over my cheeks, but Zelos laughed out loud and placed his hands on the table. "Is that all? Man. Here I was thinking there was some big, naughty secret I was missing out on!" he cried.

There were shakes of the head for responses, and all was quiet until Presea decided to state her thoughts: "I want to go home..." she murmured, looking around at all of us.

"Oh yeah...we should head to Altessa's. We'll drop Presea off as we go!" Lloyd suggested. Everyone seemed to agree, and thus, we left Mizuho.

------

We reached Presea's house, and the smell was absolutely disgusting. Raine approached the bed cautiously while Presea set about her business, and gasped, tears leaping into her eyes at the sight. It was Presea's father, dead and decomposing in his bed.

I choked back tears and covered my mouth in horror, stepping back with a shuddery sigh. Feeling something warm around me, I looked back to see Zelos holding me against him, appearing to be just as sickened as the rest. Normally I would have fought him off, but didn't have the nerve to at the moment.

"I don't think Presea realizes what's happened to her father," Raine said quietly, looking at the little pink-haired girl in sorrow and pity.

"We should get help from Altessa quickly," Lloyd said, walking outside. I allowed Zelos to lead me out as well.

------

At Altessa's, we were greeted by a rather beautiful young woman. Her face held no emotion at all, nor did her voice. "WHO IS IT?" she asked.

"Um. We want to speak with Altessa," I piped up. This girl scared me, for more reasons than I could think of...one of those being that Zelos hadn't hit on her at first sight. That scared me.

The woman nodded. "ONE MOMENT. I WILL REQUEST A MEETING WITH THE MASTER."

To make a long story short, Altessa wanted nothing to do with Presea and refused to help us. While Lloyd stood around complaining, Tabatha approached us. "I AM SORRY. THE MASTER DOES NOT WISH TO BE INVOLVED WITH PRESEA."

"But all she needs is her key crest fixed!" Colette exclaimed.

"I AM NOT SURE THAT WOULD TRULY BE IN HER BEST INTEREST," Tabatha said.

I folded my arms. "But she'll die if we don't help her soon! You can't just abandon a little girl like that!"

"IF YOU TRULY WANT TO SAVE PRESEA," she said, looking me in the eye, "THEN YOU SHOULD SEARCH FOR INHIBITOR ORE." She gestured toward the door as the dwarf called to her. "GO. I WILL TRY TO PERSUADE THE MASTER."

"Thanks," I said halfheartedly.

Heading outside triggered a long, drawn-out conversation about where to find inhibitor ore. As it turned out, Zelos knew of a mine that seemed to have some of the ore in it; the Toize Valley Mine. He also suggested we stop at Altamira, but I quickly set him straight, and we went off in search of the mine.

-----------

**Author's Note: How do you like the story so far? Thanks, again, for the reviews. I thought I'd mention here that I don't _ever_ include Regal in my ToS fics for one absolutely good reason: I DON'T LIKE HIM, HAHAHA! ...No seriously. Regal truly sucks. I just pretend that the party never even met the guy. XD**

**Also, since I _feel_ like mentioning it...I'm saving up $91.85 for a bunch of Tales of Symphonia stuff (the OST, a book of character art by Kosuke Fujishima, and a box of figurines)! Talk about an obsession, huh? Anyway, wish me luck, and keep reading!**


	19. Real Quick

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia in any way, shape, or form...not counting the fact that I have a whole shitload of merchandise and am getting more...-OBSESSIONIST!-**

**Also. This chapter is done in third person, and is really short, as are all the third-person chapters. **

---------

Sheena's daughter smiled as the story progressed. She'd heard most of it before, albeit a little differently since her mother had to rack her memory everytime she told it. This time was much more interesting, since last time her mom forgot to add the part about the dead guy. "So what happened next, mommy?" she asked, sliding closer to Sheena, if that were possible, and staring up with enormous blue eyes.

The summoner exhaled deeply and scrunched her nose up as she thought. "Well, we got the ore and saved Presea, then we--"

"Mommy!" the youth suddenly cried. She looked alarmed, and patted her mother's leg repeatedly until she was asked what was wrong. "I want to hear the part about Taro and the snowy city!"

"Taro..." Sheena echoed, taking a moment to recall the man from Meltokio Sewers. "But I'd be skipping a lot of the story, like the part when we saved the worlds!"

Quite eager to get to the part she wanted to hear, the young girl asked simply, "Then tell me the part about Mithosreally quick!"

---------

**Author's Note: If you haven't noticed, I tend to use the third-person chapters to skip ahead to a different part, eheheh...and um, warning. If you haven't beaten the game yet, you might wanna go do that before reading on...XD 'Coz the next chapter fully revolves around the end of the game and whatnot. **

**P.S: NakigoeMizuKibun, _how_? XD I ENVY YOUR HAVING-NESS OF THE EXPENSIVE STUFF! -dies-**


	20. Nostalgic?

**To The Zelda Master and NakigoeMizuKibun: Thank you SOMUCH for helping me not to let this story drop into nothingness. n.n;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, or the characters...but I do own Jennai. o.O I also own my peverted, fluffy thoughts!**

**-**

After we went to Vinheim and vanquished Mithos once and for all, revived the Giant Tree, said our farewells, and split up, visions, dreams, and nightmares began haunting me. My days with Orochi and Tiga and Grandpa Igaguri in Mizuho were awesome, don't get me wrong. Customs that had long since died away were brought back, and it wasn't long until we heard rumors of Kuchinawa's return.

The day we found out about him was the same day I had decided to stay home alone. As I looked around the living room, I saw things that weren't there; my friends, all sleeping on the floor, Lloyd snoring like a sewage drain, and clearest of all, Zelos, sneaking into the house at hour door, approaching my cot, and wiping the stream of tears from my eyes. I wondered where he was now. _Probably getting reaccuainted with his groupies_, I figured.

About that time, someone knocked on my door. What was odd, was that it was the back door, not the front. _Kuchinawa!_ I thought, and sprang for the door. I flung it open... and took a shocked step backwards. "Zelos!"

There he was, the idiot Chosen, the casanova, the gleaming knight, a smile plastered on his stupid, goofy, gorgeous, wonderful face. "Hi, Sheena!" he gushed. "Didja miss me?"

"Hardly!" I lied. Just a little white lie, right? "What are you doing here?"

He looked tickled to death just to hear my voice. "How'd you like to deliver a peace treaty to Iselia?"

Baffled, I set my hands on my hips. "Why?"

"The King said you should," Zelos explained. He let himself inside without an invite and sat down at the table. "You got anything to eat? I'm starving!"

Closing the back door, I chucked an amango at his head. "I'm not leaving NOW - Kuchinawa's coming back!" I pointed out, taking one of the fruits for myself.

"No rush," he replied with his mouth full. He wiped his face on the back of his hand. "Wanna just catch up for awhile?"

"Zelos." I stared at him. "We've only been apart for four days." Sometimes, his stupidity amazed me.

"I know! What've you been up to since we whupped Mithos?" He took another humongous bite of his amango, watching me interestedly. As if I were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

I sat down across from him and placed my hands on the table. "Well, I..." Another knock at the back door cut me off. When I answered it, my eyes lit up as they connected with Kuchinawa's. "You're back!"

"Sheena." Kuchinawa nodded, then looked over my shoulder at Zelos. "...Was I interrupting something?"

I suppose my answer came far too quickly: "No, not at all!" Zelos stood up, tossing the rest of his fruit in the trash.

"I was just leaving," he said. I felt stuck, between a rock and a hard place, I guess you could say. He headed for the front door, and just as he put his hand on the knob, I called out to him.

"No! Uh, I mean, nah, that's all right! You can stay..." I offered.

Kuchinawa shrugged. "I need to go see Jennai, anyway. It was good seeing you again." With that, he left.

Zelos stared at the door, and I stared at the back of his head, both of us silent. "I've been thinking about you," I admitted suddenly. My words startled he and I both.

"Really now, hunny?" he responded, flicking the lock switch on the door. I did the same for the back.

"I guess...just reminescing, you know? ..." I sat down on my bed, while he sat on the guest cot.

"Nostalgic?" Zelos watched me. I nodded, and he added, "Me too."

My mind raced. "Remember that time in Gaoracchia Forest?"

"Yeah." Zelos nodded, looking thoughtful. "How about the time in the sewers?"

I nodded as well. "I remember. What about -"

"Our first kiss." He peered at me slyly, inching toward me.

"There's that, too..." He was making me nervous. Instead of coming too close to me, Zelos made a break toward the only lit candleabra, and blew them out one by one. "What are you _doing_?"

His shadow glided through the dark, and soon, he was right beside me. I felt his hand over mine.

It felt like my last chance to speak, maybe for the rest of my life. There were lots of things I wanted to say, but all I managed was, "Zelos? What..."

After that point, I knew no more. I slid back onto the bed, and every emotion, every breath, every word, every second blended together into a myriad of colors and feelings. I wasn't aware of anything until after I'd gone to sleep and woke in time for a gorgeous golden sunrise to wash over the entire house through the sole window. Beside me, Zelos' breathing was deep and slow. And as I blinked the sleep from my eyes, waves of panic ran over me. He was asleep. With me. In my bed. ...With me. And we...

I started to get up, but Zelos sleepily muttered, "It's okay...go back to sleep, hunny."

And so...

...I did.

-

**Author's Note: So, how's THAT for a comeback? I think I'm on a roll now! (I kinda had LOTS of fun writing this chapter...XDDDD)**


	21. Positive

**Disclaimer: Out of all the things I could own...ToS isn't one of those things. I do however own the pharmacy that magically appeared in Meltokio! XDDD**

**-**

It could have been two in the afternoon when I woke up. It could have been six at night. Shoving all the pillows an blankets to the floor, I saw that Zelos had gone. On the table, he left a note:

_Sheena_, it read, _thanks for last night. I'll see you in Iselia this afternoon! Love Zelos_.

"Iselia..." I grumbled, rubbing my temples. Deciding I didn't have much of a choice, I got dressed and grabbed my backpack, heading out the door.

-

Zelos was standing right out front of Iselia, waiting like he said he would. "Hey! You made it!" He was all smiles. I smiled back.

"About last night..."

"Don't mention it." Zelos grinned, suggesting something like, _You KNOW you liked losing your virginity to me_, and entered the village.

-

After we made peace with the tyrannical mayor of Iselia, and we were on our way to Mizuho, Zelos became extremely serious and took my hand. "So...?" He appeared to have been waiting all day to ask this one-word question from the way his eyes glistened happily.

"So what?" I looked back at him.

His grin grew wider. "Are you?"

"Am I what? Start making sense!" I yelled.

"Are you pregnant?" Zelos giggled. He looked like a third-grade child, with that idiotic (charming) grin and immature, amused (tempting) expression.

He caught me off gaurd. "I, uh..." I blinked furiously. "I haven't... checked..."

"Ohhh!" He laughed so hard I thought he'd pass out. "Let's go, then!"

"But!" I cried hopelessly as he led me in the direction of Meltokio.

-

"There's the pharmacy." Zelos shoved me toward the door. He looked so genuinely exicted, waiting impatiently for me to go in of my own accord.

"But!" I whined again. "I don't want to!"

"Aw, c'mon, PLEAAAAASE?" he pleaded, shoving me gently toward the door again. I gave up and went inside, bought what I needed, and returned to Zelos' house.

As I stepped through the threshold, a whole new batch of memories came back to me. Zelos followed me all the way to the bathroom.

"You're not coming in, sicko!" I admonished as I went in and slammed the door. When I didn't hear him walk away, I figured he was waiting right outside the door.

His bathroom reeked of lavender and vanilla sugar. There were mirrors all over the place, on practically every wall, and they were making me dizzy. Actually, just the thought of being pregnant made me nauseous. Not like it was a bad thing... it was just... me, and ZELOS? Grandpa Igaguri wouldn't like it. Tiga wouldn't like it. Kuchinawa and Orochi would hate it. My village would hate ME! They'd call me a whore, a Chosen-loving suck-up.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Need some help in there?" Zelos asked.

"No! Pervert..." Rolling my eyes, I took the pregnancy test out of the box, and did what I had to do.

-

"How'd it go?" As I walked out of the bathroom, Zelos practically mauled me, smiling like a moron and circling me. I walked past him, stiff and pale. My blood ran cold, but I was sweating and felt like I had a fever. "Sheena, tell me! Tell meeee!" he begged. "Pleeeaaaseeee?"

"It..." My words caught in my throat, as did the air in my lungs. "...was..."

I stopped to think. What would this mean? My village would hate me, my friends would chastize me, and Zelos would...be happy? Maybe it would be all right after all, if Zelos - and I - were happy.

"It was positive." I finished confidently.

Zelos mauled me again, stealing my breath away in a kiss. "This is great, hunny! Ohmigosh-" he paused"-we have to tell Taro! And, and...your chief!"

"NO!" I was about a quarter of a second from brutalizing him. "Don't tell Grandpa."

Taken aback, he nodded slowly. "Okay...but can we tell Taro?"

"Who's that?" I tilted my head.

"That guy from the sewers, remember? He's my bud." Zelos grinned, and was suddenly reminded of the old group courtesy of the word "bud".

"OHMIGOSH, we have to tell Lloyd and the others!"


	22. Taro and the Snowy City

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that Namco owns, but I do own Taro Nagisaki and Sera and Jennai Cetra! **

**-**

Taro had taken residence in the Church of Martel in Flanoir. According to Zelos, Taro had babysat him when he had lost his mother (though he would never tell me about his father), and was like a brother to him.

"Chosen One!" the priest exclaimed, his ruby red eyes wide as we entered his quarters. Waves of blonde hair fell past his shoulders, and he was dressed in an overlarge robe. "Who's this pretty lady? One of your hunnies?"

Zelos grinned, sitting down on the couch. "You betcha! This hunny is my favorite."

"Excuse me?" I growled. Here I was, carrying his child, and he calls me his "favorite hunny"?

"Ohh, Taro, man! Did I tell you, Sheena's pregnant?" Zelos bursted, unable to keep quiet about it for long.

Taro just laughed. He motioned for me to take a seat and did so himself. "My, my. So you two are lovers now? It's about time you settled down, bro."

Zelos beamed with pride, taking my hands in his and pulling me onto his lap. I won't deny that I _liked_ it, but still, I was uncomfortable. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself, man. We're not married."

_Married_. That word made my head spin. He was talking like I was just another client!

Taro tilted his head back and downed a beer. A beer! Have very sacreligious. "You should look into that."

"Maybe." Zelos smiled down at me like, _Whaddaya think?_, tilting my head up and placing a kiss on my lips.

There was a knock at the door and a scramble inside the room. Taro tossed his beer out the open window, as well as the cigarette he had lit, then kicked the cooler of alcohol under the couch. Zelos pushed me off his lap and sat up straight as his friend opened the door.

"Heh-heh, hey!" Taro crowed, swinging the door open to allow a slender woman inside. She was hidden behind a hooded cloak "Come on in, baby!"

The woman stepped inside and sat on the couch across from me. I caught sight of two sea green eyes and an apologetic smile before she looked away.

Zelos chuckled softly and pulled me closer again. "Hey, do they have any really souped-up hotels around here?"

"Why?" Taro took a drag on his new cigarette, blowing the smoke in the woman's face.

I was curious as well, and peered at Zelos from the corner of my eye. He smiled back at me.

"Because I figure Sheena should be treated like a real hunny while she carries my kid!"

_His intentions are nice enough_, I decided, _but his choice of words just suck_.

"Ha. You're going to spoil her rotten, eh?" Taro smirked as he pulled the woman's hood off. I recognized her, she was from Mizuho. Her name was Sera Cetra. Jennai's younger sister. "All these Mizuhoan babes deserve that, huh?"

"Sheena..." Sera murmured, looking away in shame.

I gave her a look like, _Man, you sure sink low_. "Does Jennai know?"

Sera shook her head. I could read the whole story in her eyes. She wasn't here because she wanted to be - she had some kind of tie to this Taro person. "Don't tell Sissy."

"All righty, we'll be off now!" Zelos stood and pulled me to my feet, leading me out the door. We left the Church of Martel, and outside, I turned on him.

"What the blue hell does he have Sera here for? That guy's not good enough for her! I mean, he's a -"

"Hey now, hunny. Don't worry about it." he reassured me, and the two of us booked a room at the Olive Village for the night.

**-**

**Author's Note: I know the whole Sera thing isn't relevant to you yet, but you'll get it soon! I promise. (wink) Anyway, keep readin' and reviewin'!**


	23. Crashing Down

**Disclaimer: I 'un own ToS, but I own Jennai and Sera Cetra. Thassa 'bout it.**

**-**

A few days later found us searching high and low for Lloyd. He wasn't in Iselia, Dirk hadn't seen him, even Colette, who had begun working in the Martel Temple, said he wasn't around. She was happy for Zelos and I, though. Really happy.

"Oh my gosh, CONGRATULATIONS, Sheena!" she squealed, giving me a hell of a hug. "I'm so glad for you, onee-chan!" Big sister, she'd called me. Then she set about clinging to Zelos.

-

More searching. Altessa hadn't seen him. He hadn't been to Hima or Luin or Triet. Zelos suggested checking Meltokio, and though I was doubtful, I went along with him there.

No luck in the city of Meltokio. We entered the castle, and sniffed around for clues, but come up with nothing. "Last place I can think of is..."

"Mizuho." I finished for him. Despite Sera's wishes, I desperately wanted to speak with Jennai. Not just that, but Kuchinawa, Orochi, Tiga, and even Grandpa needed to know about... erm, Zelos and I.

Zelos smirked. "Well, I was thinking more along the lines of Altamira, but okay."

-

Mizuho was abnormally quiet as we entered. The people making their way through the village looked like mourners. I got nervous. Jennai was among those people. "Jennai!" I yelled after her, weaving around the other villagers and pulling on the sleeve of her robe.

"Sheena...!" Jennai looked at me, teary eyed. "Sera is gone...she's vanished again"

"Is that what this is all about?" I asked.

My neighbor simply hiccupped and began sauntering away pathetically.

Zelos came up behind me. Despite that, I broke from my train of thought and called out, "I know where Sera is!"

Every villager on the streets stopped and looked at me. Every pair of eyes begged me to disclose Sera Cetra's location. "SheeNA!" Zelos gasped, giving me a _NO you didn't!_ kind of look. "Don't tell them" he breathed in my ear, "You'll get yourself, me, and Taro in trouble! Big-time!"

Jennai brushed her tears away hopefully. "Please tell me, Sheena..."

I was stuck again. If I told Jennai, Sera would be brought back, and Mizuho would be at peace. If I kept my mouth shut, I'd be an abomination in my own village...but Zelos would be happy and Taro would be safe. "I...I...can't tell you."

A low murmur ran through the crowd. I heard a few mutters of, "Traitor" and, "Go figure" as well as some disapproving sighs. "You would do something like this to your own village?" a man yelled"Then we should have her arrested!"

"Zelos!" I shrieked, backing into him and looking up pleadingly.

Zelos shook his head. "Don't tell them, Sheena."

"The Chosen is influencing her!" the same man cried. "He should be put to death!"

A collective shout of agreement rang in my ears. The village militia began to move forward, but Zelos began pulling me toward the gates. Someone else grabbed my other hand and pulled me away from Zelos, and before long, I was surrounded and pinned to the ground.

The last thing I saw before I went blank was Zelos being equally as trapped as I was, and the last thing I heard before someone took a board and knocked me out was an air piercing cry of agony and a bunch of murmuring about "the Chosen" and "what he deserved". My world came crashing down as I put two and two together, then fainted with a sharp pain in the back of my head.


	24. Doubting

**Disclaimer: This freak does not own Tales of Symphonia, but totally claims Mina Fujibayashi-Wilder, Taro Nagisaki, and Sera Cetra as her own. n-n FEAR THE OWNAGE...yeah anyway, read the story. X.O**

**Also, the story is going to be written in third-person POV from here on out, got it? Good.**

**-**

"How long ago was that, Mommy?" the little girl asked, instinctively wiping Sheena's tears from her cheeks. Sheena had always cried at the end of the story.

"That was seven...seven years ago." Sheena shuddered a little. "I've been here seven years." A small sigh escaped her lips.

The six year old gazed around the prison cell she had spent her entire life in, wondering what life in Mizuho was like. She wondered what her great-grandpa was like, and her aunt, and...her father. She'd been told she looked just like him, with her dark blue eyes and long red hair, her sharp-featured face and pretty smile. "Will we ever get out of here?" she asked.

"I doubt it," was Sheena's reply. The summoner would have said something more, had she not noticed the man standing in front of her cell. He wore a slightly overlarge priest's robe that covered everything except his belted boots, while mildly unkempt blonde hair fell to his lower back.

"Is that your kid?" the man asked, his ruby gaze focused on the little girl in Sheena's lap. "She's the spittin' image of her daddy, that's for sure."

Sheena tilted her head. "Who the hell are you? How do you know Zelos?"

"He's my bro, man!" the man leaned into the bars and smiled a charming smile.

"T-Taro!"

"Taro?" the little girl exploded, staring at the fallen priest in complete and utter shock. "You're really Taro?"

Taro's grin widened. "You'd better believe it! What's your name, kiddo?"

"Mina!" Sheena's daughter squealed. "My name's Mina!"

"Mina," Taro repeated. "You're quite a cutie! Want out of that cell?"

Sheena gasped. "You're gonna let us out?"

The priest removed a key from his long, baggy sleeve and unlocked the door. "Yep! C'mon gals, let's beat it."

Mina leapt to her feet and hopped out of the cell eagerly, while Sheena slowly crept out. The two of them followed Taro up the stairs and out the door, where the young girl gasped and shrieked with excitement.

"It's so bright and warm and pretty and...!"

"It's a rockin' world," Taro agreed, gesturing toward two Rheairds he had picked up beforehand. "You good to drive, Sheena?"

"Is that a RHEAIRD?" Mina exclaimed, leaping into the seat and bouncing around on it. "Come on, mommy! Let's fly on the Rheaird!"

Sheena sat down at the controls and cracked her knuckles - a nervous habit she had picked up over the years - and flew the aircraft into the sky. Glancing Taro's way, she noticed Sera sharing the seat with him. "H-holy...you haven't taken Sera back to Mizuho after all this?" she cried.

"Naw!" Taro smiled in a daring manner. "She's been helping me locate some of Zelos' old buds."

The summoner looked down immediately, a cold chill washing over her cheeks and nose. "But Zelos..."

"Is alive," Sera finished, peering at her childhood friend confidently. "Zelos is not dead, Sheena."

"Daddy!" Mina exclaimed upon hearing this news, flailing around like a lunatic. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!"

Sheena tried to focus on her steering, but couldn't help but stare disbelievingly at Sera. "But...where is he? Why wouldn't he come after me? How ?"

"You'll see, jeesh," Taro interrupted, landing his Rheaird in the middle of a grassy field. "Follow me, ladies."

Sheena, Sera, Mina, and Taro made their way across the field to a secluded forest-like area. "He's over there," Sera said in a mystifyingly low tone, pointing through the shade of the trees to a single sunny circle where several people stood.

There was a brown-haired boy dressed in red, a blonde girl in blue and white, and two smaller figures - one in shorts with silver hair, the other with two pink pigtails. "Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Presea," Sheena muttered to herself. "I don't see -"

"DADDY!" Mina screamed, jumping up and down in a frenzy, pointing desperately at someone standing apart from the others. The loner had long red hair down to his mid-back and a pink vest/cape over a black shirt. "Mommy, look, it's daddy! Isn't it?"


	25. Ice Cream

**Disclaimer: ToS: not owned. Mina, Taro, Sera: owned.**

**-**

The commotion caused Zelos to turn, a look of bafflement, then shock on his face he stared at Sheena, Mina, Taro and Sera. "You got her, Taro!" the ex-Chosen cried, dashing forward and nearly tackling Sheena to the ground in an embrace.

But the summoner stood stationary, inhaling the sweet smell of lavender and cinnamon sugar that Zelos always had on him. "Z-zelos..."

Mina wouldn't allow herself to be ignored. "Daddy, look at me!" She jumped up and down overexcitedly.

Zelos blinked, confused, and peered down at Mina. "Who're you calling _Daddy?_"

"You!" the child giggled. "Mommy told me. You're Zelos, my daddy!" That said, she bounced up to him and clung to his cape.

Sheena smiled. "That's Mina...our daughter."

"Daughter..." Zelos said quietly, staring at Mina incredulously. "Don't tell me she's been living in that jail cell this whole time!"

The summoner's cheeks burned. "Yeah, but she wouldn't have been if you would have stopped feigning death for a second to come get us!"

"I had to lay low," Zelos growled, not exactly happy with her bitterness toward him so soon.

"For _seven _years?"

"Yes!" the redhead snapped. "Look, don't get so mad."

"_YOU_ look!" Sheena persisted, gesturing toward her thin, pale frame. "While you were _laying low_, I was rotting in jail with your daughter! Do you know how hard it is to admit that Mina has never seen a _tree_ before?"

"Sheena!" Sera tried to cut in, but the girl was ignored as Sheena went on.

"Your daughter didn't know the sky is blue! She didn't know that grass is green, and lemons are sour, sugar is sweet, and..."

Zelos wrapped his arms around the summoner, hugging her close to him. "I'm sorry, Sheena..." He paused. "I love you."

"Aaaawww," Taro snickered, nudging Sera with his elbow. "Cute, huh?"

Mina squealed, hugging onto her father's leg. "Daddy DOES love mommy! We're a family, mommy, just like you hoped we would be!"

"Zelos..." Sheena breathed, returning his embrace. "I love you, too."

The ex-Chosen picked his daughter up and balanced her on his shoulders. "Mina, huh? You pretty little girl, you. I'll bet you'd like to try some ice cream, huh?"

"Ice cream?" the child cooed. "What's that?"

Taro made his way over to the others that had been standing off to the side quietly. "Looks like we're making a detour to the nearest ice cream parlor," he explaind. "Then we have to stop by Mizuho."

Sera smiled weakly, wondering if after nearly eight years, anyone would remember her. Her sister would be...thirty seven years old.

"Got it." Lloyd nodded, and the lot of them headed for the Rheairds parked nearby, the thought of ice cream on a hot day putting a smile on their faces, while for Sheena, just being out of jail and back with her lover was enough. Mina smiled because everyone else did. Her dad was just as father-like as she'd thought.


	26. Epilogue!

**Disclaimer: The only claimage here is for Taro, Sera, Jennai, and Mina.**

**So at last we come to the final chapter... You ready for this? Well here it is, the grand finale!**

**-(Epilogue)-**

It was sundown when the group returned to Zelos' house. They'd gone to the ice cream parlor, the park, and the mall, teaching Mina everything that could be taught to a six year old at one time. They would have gone straight on to Mizuho, but the child got to be so exhausted that she was falling asleep standing.

"This'll be your bedroom, sweetheart," Zelos told his daughter as he lay her down on what was once the guest bed.

Mina opened her mouth wide and yawned loudly. "Okay. Night-night, daddy."

"Goodnight." The redhead beamed and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. He nearly walked right into Sheena, who was waiting for him in the hall. The two of them headed downstairs and sat with the others, who were discussing their course of action for tomorrow.

Taro had sprawled himself out on the couch, taking up the entire thing, while Sera was perched on the arm. Lloyd and Colette sat by the fire, and Genis clung to Presea at the foot of the couch. "I say we give Sera a parachute and toss her into Mizuho from a Rheaird," Genis suggested.

"Nah. We're going to walk her in like normal human beings." Taro shook his head. "Zelos and Sheena are, anyway."

"Us?" Sheena blinked, glancing from Zelos to Taro to Sera. "But we can't go into Mizuho!"

The fallen priest lifted his brows at her. "Oh?"

"Duh! Seven years in jail, hello? Remember?" the summoner pointed out.

Shrugs were given in response. "It doesn't matter. You and Zelos are going to walk Sera to the center of Mizuho, then leave. End of story."

-

As bad luck would have it, it was nightfall when the three Rheairds landed outside the mystical village. Zelos, Sheena, and Sera headed toward the gates after some encouraging words from Taro were given. "Go in, get out, go in, get out..." Sheena chanted under her breath.

"Shh." Zelos clamped a hand over her mouth, passing by the gardens. The Cetra household was the next house to pass. Sera gulped audibly.

After a few minutes of cautious sneaking forward in a single file line, the trio reached the dead-center of Mizuho. "All right, Sera?" Zelos whispered, giving her a finalizing smile.

"Goodbye, Chosen and Sheena! Take care!" Sera said, waving as her friends began backing away.

A jolt ran through Sheena's mind when she heard a door open behind her. "Hey!" someone yelled. More doors opened.

"Run!" Sheena shrieked, taking off like a shot. She and Zelos got outside to find Taro lounging around with a cigarette between his lips.

"Taro, let's get out of here!" Zelos called out, giving the Flanoirian a shove. "These Mizuho people are after us."

Taro gave him a _whatever_ look. "Face them," he said casually. "You're the Chosen and she's the succesor of Mizuho. What's there to run from?"

"But..." Sheena sighed, figuring that the priest was right. Turning to Zelos, she held his hand in both of hers. "Zelos, promise you won't leave me behind if anything goes wrong."

The redhead smiled. "I promise, hunny. You ready?"

"Forget the vows, man! Look who's coming." Taro pointed ahead, where the villagers had gathered.

Sheena took a step forward, holding onto Zelos' hand for dear life. "I brought Sera Cetra back!"

"Liar!" roared the crowd. They moved further, looking like a swarm of angry hornets.

"I did! She's in the center of town!" Sheena insisted.

Zelos nodded in agreement, gesturing toward the village. "See for yourself!"

Those who were easily swayed looked over their shoulders, and when they did, their gasps made everyone else turn and look, as well. A blinding white light was being emitted from Mizuho.

People immediately ran back inside, Sheena and Zelos among them. Taro stayed put, knowing rather well what was going on.

"Sera!" Sheena gasped, eyes large as she stared at the girl in front of her. Sera had begun to radiate a white aura, and a pair of translucent red wings appeared on her back. A chill wind picked up, ruffling her long brown hair. "What's happening...?"

The girl's sea green eyes opened halfway and a smiled showed through on her face. "Thank you for bringing me home, Sheena. It took me twenty years to find a priest to awaken the angelic heritage in me, and seven years to prepare my finality," she explained. "Taro knwe I wanted it to happen here."

"What are you talking about?" the summoner gasped. "What's going to happen to you?"

From the crowd, Jennai rushed out and flew at her younger sister. "No, little sister! Don't go!" she cried, hugging Sera for only a moment before she fell _through_ the transparant girl.

The entire village of Mizuho plus Zelos watched in shock and awe as the twenty-seven year old bowed her head and vanished into thin air, another blinding flash of light announcing her departure.

"She's gone..." Zelos breathed, looking around at everyone before slowly leading Sheena outside.

Taro was already ready to go. "Let's get back to Zelos'," he said, waiting for Sheena and Zelos to board their Rheairds before taking off.

-

"She's so beautiful," Zelos whispered, brushing a few strands of hair from Mina's sleeping face. "Like you." He turned toward Sheena and smiled.

Sheena cracked her knuckles one at a time. "I can't wait to teach her everything... with you."

"And I'll not ditch you," the redhead promised quickly, just to be safe. "That's my fidelity to you."

The summoner stood and nodded. "I'll be in the bedroom if you need me," she said as she crept out.

Zelos looked down at Mina again, brushing hair out of her face absentmindedly.

"Daddy?" Mina woke and blinked up at him with deer-in-the-headlights eyes.

"Hm?"

"Tell me a story," the girl requested.

Tilting his head to one side, Zelos racked his memory for a story to tell. "Oh, I know a good one." He cleared his throat. "One day, after a rainstorm, I was just hanging around Meltokio when this frantic woman showed up..."

**-(fin)-**

**Post script: There you have it, the whole story! **

**...until the sequel. Shhh, don't tell anyone, but there's going to be more surprises, more information about the mysterious Sera Cetra, more bad-ass Taro, and more Sheelos than you can shake a kendama at in the next one! n-n **


End file.
